1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to color measurement, calibration, characterization, rendering and/or replication. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for utilizing metadata embedded in a color measurement target to uniquely identify the target through color measurement.
2. Background and Related Art
A color measurement target that is used for color calibration or characterization of a color output device (e.g., a printer, copier, or multi-function device) contains a collection of color patches imaged by the output device on physical media (e.g., paper or transparency material). The color patches are typically measured using a colorimeter or spectrophotometer, and the measurements are processed by software programs to generate color calibration, characterization, and/or rendering data structures, such as ICC profiles, for the output device.
The software that processes the measurements requires knowledge of certain conditions or parameters that are used in construction of the measured target. Currently available techniques include those that utilize a separate file or bar code to communicate such conditions or parameters through a separate data path.
In one technique, the workflow steps of target generation, printing, color measurement, and measurement data processing are all performed by separate software applications. Multiple image files (one per page) are created to be printed and measured, and corresponding conditions or parameters are stored in a separate file that is later read by a measurement processing application. The measurement system only measures a page at a time, yielding a separate data file for each page, and the measurement processing software requires that the correct measurement data file be associated with the correct condition/parameter file for each target page. The associations between the data file and the condition/parameter file are performed manually via a user interface, which has proven to be tedious and error prone.
In another technique, a bar code is used to communicate the conditions or parameters through a separate data path. However, such techniques require the use of a bar code reading device that is separate from the color measurement device for scanning the bar code.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that are used in association with color measurement targets, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.